The Florida Supreme Court overturned the death sentence for Roy Phillip Ballard, who was convicted of killing his stepdaughter in a complex plan that included making her body disappear. The state’s highest court ruled that the 70-year-old Zephyrhills man should receive a life sentence without parole for the first-degree murder of Autumn Marie Traub. The 33-year-old Lakeland woman was last seen alive on September 13, 2006. Her body has never been found.

Prosecutors argued that Roy killed Autumn because she was preventing him from regaining custody of a 14-year-old female relative with whom Roy was having an incestuous relationship. Roy insisted he receive a new trial because jurors should not have heard testimony that he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old relative. The girl (whose name wasn’t released) testified that Roy would have sex with her about every other weekend for a year. The girl also testified that Roy confessed his love for her and wanted to marry her. Neighbors also saw Roy and the girl kissing and fondling each other. Prosecutors argued Roy was obsessed with regaining custody of the girl and Autumn was standing in the way.

Roy purchased the presumed murder weapon – an 18-inch metal pipe – just weeks before the killing took place. He waited outside Autumn’s home and didn’t approach until her husband left for work. Roy’s former cellmate testified Roy confessed to hitting Autumn in the head with the pipe, bashing her teeth out so she couldn’t be identified and putting her body in acidic water. He also said that Roy got rid of the pipe by grinding it down at a metal fabrication shop.

Detectives recovered from inside the trunk of Roy’s car, plastic Wal-Mart bags with a small trace of Autumn’s blood on them, a roll of duct tape with blood on it thought to be Autumn’s, and a sex toy with the girl’s DNA on it. Detectives also found a receipt from a home improvement store for the metal pipe and a roll of duct tape.

A jury found him guilty on July 2, 2008, and later recommended by a vote of 9-3 that he should be executed.